As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family, we gather in prayer to reflect on the profound model of love, faith, and unity that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph provide. The Grogan family invites you to join in prayer, contemplating the past year’s joys and challenges while drawing inspiration from the Holy Family’s unwavering trust in God’s plan. As we look forward to the new year, let us seek to embody the virtues of the Holy Family and foster deeper connections within our families and communities.
Transcript
Hello, we are the Grogan family. My name is Joseph. My name is Alice. I’m Caroline. And I am John. We would like to invite you to join us in prayer, as we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. Let us pause and reflect on the year that has been, the joys and challenges we have faced together, and the many blessings we received throughout the year. Beyond local and global extremities, the Holy Family of Jesus, Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, offer steadfast faith, hope, mercy and love. Growing up largely without a mother, we cherish Mother Mary and the holistic blessings of the Holy Family.
May we pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Loving and merciful God, we come before You as a family, grateful for the year we have shared. We give thanks for the moments of joy, the strength You provided in times of difficulty, and the love and grace that sustains us through it all.
As we reflect on this past year, we remember the families who might be facing difficulties. Those who are grieving, those separated from loved ones, and those who struggle to find peace. May You comfort them. May we always have open hearts to extend Your love to those who need it most.
As 2024 comes to an end, please guide us as we continue to work towards being more like the Holy Family. Loving, patient, and compassionate. May we grow closer to You O Lord and to each other. May we find joy in the simple moments together.
We pray for families who have loved ones who are facing health challenges. May they feel the strength of Your healing presence each day. Surround them with hope and the assurance that they are never alone. May they find solace in the support of those around them. Help them to feel the peace that comes from Your loving embrace. We thank you God for the blessings of medical expertise and communal warmth. Please heal and comfort all in need, including my sister Alice and our father John.
Please help us to lift up young people in our community, to grow in spirituality, wisdom, and compassion. Inspire our Youth and Young Adult ministries, including our parish, to nurture faith, fun and friendship. Guide them as they navigate the challenges of life. May our youth always feel supported and encouraged by their families and friends. May they find strength and purpose in Your love, as they become leaders of tomorrow.
Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for us and for all families, that we may be sources of light and justice in our communities. May we always support and uplift one another. May we share the love of Christ with everyone we meet. Please guide, guard, and bless Catholic missionaries around the world, including all serving in Australian Indigenous communities, and in Timor-Leste, and across the Pacific. I personally pray for our MSC Brethren in Kiribati.
As we conclude this prayer, let us carry forward the spirit of the Holy Family, sharing kindness and understanding during this time, and in the new year to come. Please bless our inspirational Archbishop Mark Coleridge and his legacy. Please help our Clergy, our Religious and Lay-Religious communities, including the Order of Malta, and our Parish communities, to continue serving people in need and protecting our Christian faith. As a family, we also ask God to bless our friends in the Skaff family, the Marshall family, the Ambrose family and the Ziegenfusz family. As St Pope John Paul II reflected, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live”. Holy Family, pray for us. May God Bless you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.